:' 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


11.25 


Uj  ^^    ■■■ 
■tt  Uii   12.2 

£^   U£    12.0 

lit 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


•a  WIS'.  HAW  sriiin 

W«t:i:ill.N.V.  14SiO 
(7U>  173.4901 


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> 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Inatituta  for  Hiatorical  Microraproductiona  /  Inatitut  Canadian  da  microraproductiona  hiatoriquaa 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notaa  tachniquaa  at  bibiiographiquaa 


Tha 
totl^ 


Tha  Instituta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  bast 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturas  of  this 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagas  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  changa 
tha  usual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


0 


□ 


D 


Colourad  covars/ 
Cou</artura  da  coulaur 


I      I   Covars  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagte 

Covars  rastorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  rastaurte  at/ou  palliculte 

Covar  titia  missing/ 

La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

Colourad  maps/ 

Cartas  gtographiquas  an  coulaur 

Colourad  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


□    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

□    Bound  with  other  material/ 
RaliA  avac  d'autres  documents 


n 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liura  serrie  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  la  long  da  la  marge  intArieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
hava  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouttes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  la  taxte, 
mala,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pagaa  n'ont 
pas  4tA  filmtes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentairas: 


L'Institut  a  niicrofilmA  la  mailleur  exemplaira 
qu'il  lui  a  6X6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  dMails 
de  cet  exemplaira  qui  sent  paut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographiqua,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m^thoda  normala  de  jfilmaga 
sont  indiqute  ci-dessous. 


I     I  Coloured  pages/ 


D 


Pagaa  da  couleur 

Pagi«s  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagias 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^as  et/ou  pellicultes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  dteolortes,  tachattes  ou  piqutes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tachtes 


The 
posi 

of  'C{ 
filml 


Orig 
bagi 
thai 
sion 
otha 
first 
sion 
or  ill 


Showthrough/ 
Transparence 


□    Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  InAgaia  de  llmpression 

I     I    includes  supplementary  material/ 


Comprend  du  matAriai  suppMmentaira 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  diaponibia 


Tha 
shall 
TINI 
whi< 

Map 
diff« 
entii 
begi 
right 
requ 
met! 


Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  hava  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalament  ou  partiallement 
obscurcies  par  un  fauillet  d'errata,  una  palure, 
etc.,  ont  AtA  filmtes  A  nouveau  de  fa^on  A 
obtanir  la  mailleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  tha  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ca  document  est  film*  au  taux  da  rMuction  indiquA  ci-daaaoua. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


y 


12X 


16X 


20X 


26X 


XX 


24X 


28X 


U 


32X 


Th«  copy  film«d  h«r«  hat  b««n  raproducsd  thanka 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

Glenbow-Alberta  Institute 
Calgary 

Tha  Imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
poan'hla  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  'c!ia  original  copy  and  in  icaaping  with  tha 
filnving  contract  apacificationa. 


Original  copiaa  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  ttia  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
aion.  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copiaa  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
firat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
aion.  and  anding  on  tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illuatratad  impraaaion. 


Tha  laat  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
ahall  contain  tha  symbol  "-»•  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  V  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  appliaa. 

Mapa.  platas,  charta,  ate,  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  raductlon  ratios.  Thoaa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  includad  in  ona  axpoaura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  laft  hand  comar,  laft  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  aa  many  framaa  aa 
raquirad.  Tha  following  diagrama  illuatrata  tha 
mathod: 


L'axamplaira  filmA  f ut  raproduit  grica  A  la 
g^nArosit*  da: 

Glanbow-Albarta  Inttituta 
Calgary 

Laa  imagas  suivantas  ont  4tA  raproduitas  avec  la 
plus  grand  soin.  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattat*  da  l'axamplaira  film*,  at  9n 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 

Laa  axamplairaa  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papiar  aat  imprimAa  sont  film4s  9n  commanpant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darniAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraaaion  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  sacond 
plat,  salon  la  caa.  Tous  laa  autras  axamplairas 
originaux  sont  filmte  an  commandant  par  la 
pramiira  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraaaion  ou  d'illustration  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  d^rni^n  paga  qui  comporta  una  talla 
amprainta. 

Un  daa  symbolaa  suivanta  apparattra  sur  la 
darnlAra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha,  salon  la 
caa:  la  symbols  -^  signifia  "A  SUIVRE".  la 
symbols  V  signifia  "FIN  ". 

Laa  cartaa.  planchaa,  tablaaux,  ate  pauvant  Atra 
filmte  A  daa  taux  da  rMuction  diff Grants. 
Loraqua  la  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  soul  ciichA,  il  est  f  ilm*  A  partir 
da  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  baa,  •n  prenent  le  nombre 
d'imagea  n^caaaaira.  Lea  diagrammes  suivants 
illuatrent  la  mAthoda. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

VAUX   &   VAUX 

I     0     I 


ADDITIONAL   OBSERVATIONS 
ON   GLACIERS 
IN    BRITISH   COLUMBIA 


FROM  THE  PROCEEDINGS 

OF   THE 

ACADEMY   OF   NATURAL  SCIENCES 

OF   PHILADELPHIA 
DEC.   1899 


t 


m 


9W~*^P 


'V 


i 


Additional  Qt^servations  on  G^^ciers 


/T3 
\ 

'<(! 


IN 


British  Columbia. 


BY 


George  and  William  S.  Vaux,  Jr. 


From  the  Proceedings  of 

The  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia, 

December,  1899. 


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1  :'    ■,       ..     , 

1899.] 


NATURAL   8CIf:NCES    OF    rillLAnELl'IIIA. 


501 


ADDITIONAL  OBSEBVATIONS  ON  GLACIERS  IN  BRITISH  COLUMBU. 


•-  r 


BY    CJKOUOK    AM)    WII-MAM    H.     VAl  X,   .IK. 


.^  ':    'J-'. 


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■  ^.''it  >  ■'' 


,\  i  .  ;■  ■,   -  .  •  Ti 

.a,  .'  i   •    f..  <.',.';,.'   ,J  _,  v.    ' 


Excluding  the  territory  which  lies  to  the  north  of  the  Arctic 
Circle,  all  the  priucip<il  glaciers  of  North  America  lie  within  the 
great  ranges  of  the  llocky  Mountain  system.  These  ranges  stretch- 
ing aiong  the  Pacific  Coast  are  peculiarly  well  situated  for  the 
formation  of  glaciers,  Avhich  are  found  in  places,  probably  not 
inferior  to  the  better  known  ice  streams  of  Switzerland. 

While  one  or  two  glaciers  exist  in  the  central  part  of  California, 
on  the  sides  of  Mt.  Lyell,  and  further  to  the  north  in  Oregon  and 
Washington  on  Mts.  Hood  and  Ranier.  it  is  not  till  the  interna- 
tional boundary  is  crossed  that  the  scenery  becomes  truly  Alpine 
and  glaciers  are  found  of  great  size  and  striking  characteristics. 
As  the  ranges  stretch  northward  they  converge  till  at  the  narrow- 
est portion  they  exceed  but  little  a  breadth  of  400  miles.  At  this 
point  they  are  composed  of  parallel  ranges,  the  outer  ones  being 
nearly  continuous,  while  the  inner  are  more  broken  and  cut  by 
deep  valleys  through  which,  in  several  instances,  noble  rivers  find 
their  way.  Beginning  at  the  west,  the  most  important  of  these 
ranges  are  the  Cascade,  the  Gold,  the  Selkirk  and  the  Rocky;  the 
last  two  being  the  highest,  the  most  Alpine  and  broken  and  the 
most  covered  with  glaciers.  The  reason  for  the  greater  glacier 
activity  in  these  eastern  ranges  is  in  part  as  follows: 

If  a  map  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  be  examined  on  which  the  cur- 
rents have  been  marked,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Japan  current, 
after  flowing  past  the  islands  of  Japan,  divides  into  two  unequal 
parts.  The  smaller  of  these  takes  a  northeast  direction  through 
Bering  Sea  and  Strait  into  the  Arctic  Ocean,  while  the  larger 
portion  assumes  an  eastern  and  then  a  soutlieastern  course,  bathing 
the  west  coast  of  British  North  America,  and  finally,  being  de- 
flected to  the  south  by  the  continent,  and  cooled,  forms  the  North 
Equatorial  current,  which  is  a  feeder  to  the  Japan  current  The 
evaporation  from   this  stream  of  warm  water  is  very  rapid,  and 


502 


PROCKi: DINGS   OF   TUK   ACADEMY    OP 


[1899, 


the  moi.st  wi.ulg,  the  prevailing  direction  of  which  is  eastward,  soon 
reacli  tlie  coust  line  and  the  nin-es  of  n.onntain.s  hcyond.      Xearly 
at  right  angles  to  the  path  of  the.«e  moist  win.ls  lie  the   i)araliel 
ranges  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.     The  Cascade  and  Gold  lla.iges 
not  being  high,  the  clouds  pass  over  them  with  a  com,)arati7ely 
small   precipitation   on   the  western  .slo|)es,    but  on   reachii..'   the 
higher  and  more  rugged  ranges  of  the  Selkirks  an.l  Iluckies.  coolim^ 
takes  place  more  .juickly,  and  the  precii.itation  is  very  rapid,     h 
IS  for  this  reason  that  on  the  western  slopes  of  the  mountains  the 
snow  IS  always  deeper  than  on  the  eastern.     The  clouds  as  they 
rise  to  cross  the  individual  ranges  are  cooled,  and  give  up  their 
moisture,  which  is  precipitated  before  the  summits  are  ,-oached. 

While  the  annual  snowfall  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  is  always 
heavy,  the  winter  of  1898-99  was  one  of  the  most  severe  since  the 
construction  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Kailwav  during  the  late  seven 
ties  and  early  eighties.     The  record  of  snowfall,   which  is  kept 
with  more  or  less  regularity  at  Glacier  House,  shows  an  excess  of 
108  inches  over  the  average  of  the  three  previous  years,  while  the 
rain,    which  unfortunately  was  not    measured,   must    have  added 
materially  to  the  total.     At  Field,  in  the  Jtocky  Mountain  range 
on  the  Kicking  Horse  river,  the  winter  was  no  less  rigorous  than 
the  preceding  ones,  but  the  snowfall  was  much  lighter  than  the 
average  of  previous  years,  being  twenty-three  feet,  as  observed  by 
the  watchman  on  the  pass  just  above  Field.     The  precipitation 
from  the  winds  as  they  blew  eastward  from  the    Pacific   Ocean 
took  place  earlier  than  usual,  and  while  probably  about  the  same 
amount  of  rain  and  snow  fell  in  both  localities,  the  local  fall  in 
the  west  was  more  and  in  the  east  less  than  the  average.     The 
spring  being  late  and  the  early  summer  cool,  melting  to'iik  place 
without  much  damage  from  freshets,  and  resulted  in  the  mountains 
retaining  more  snow  during  the  summer  months  than  for  several 
years. 

In  addition  to  this  the  summer  was  unusually  cool.  Snow  was 
noted  frequently  on  the  higher  mountains  and  even  down  to  the 
lower  levels.  On  August  15th  a  heavy  snowstorm  broke  over  the 
mountains,  which  lasted  for  several  hours.  8now  lay  thick  on  the 
ground  at  Glac'er  House,  at  an  elevation  of  4000  feet;  at  Field  it 
measured  four  inches  on  the  platforms,  while  at  Hector,  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Kicking  Horse  Pass,  there  was  a  full  foot.     Clearing 


//ss^^ 


18D0.] 


NATiitM,  sciicxcKS  <»i'  riiii,.\i)i;i,i'irrA. 


)03 


woatlior  sDon  nicltcMl  this  at  the  lower  lovcls,  hut  on  tlio  inountanH 
the  fall  WHS  hoavior  and  lasted  for  a  lonj^er  [)eriod.  It  will  be 
intorci^tin},'  to  watch  tho  oHl-ct,  if  any,  which  this  unusual  season 
will  iiavo  on  tho  ;,daoier!<  of  tho  locality.  Of  the  jrlaciei-.s  observed, 
b,)th  last  suniinor  and  this,  a  much  smaller  recession  took  place 
durini;  the  twelve  months  than  in  jirevious  years. 


VrCTOIirA    (iLACIKU, 

The  Vi(!toria  (Hacier,  at  tlu;  head  of  Lake  Louise,  Alberta,  was 
visited  on  the  2()th  of  July,  189!).  Althoujjh  seldom  seen  by  trav- 
elers, it  is  almost  as  accessible,  ami  probably  more  intcrestini,',  than 
the  Tllecellewaet  Glacier,  in  British  Columbia.  A  row  across  the 
beautiful  Lake  Louise,  followed  by  a  walk  of  about  two  miles 
over  a  fairly  good  trail,  brinies  one  to  the  tongue,  which  is  deeply 
buried  in  a  large  and  high  moraine.  Following  the  northwest  side 
of  tiie  valley,  which  has  evidently  been  (|uite  recently  abandoned 
by  the  ice,  the  surface  of  the  glacier  is  reached  with  case.  Over 
tho  lower  part  crevasses  arc  almost  entirely  wanting,  the  drainage, 
to  a  very  large  extent,  taking  place  on  the  surface. 

For  a  distance  of  nearly  one  and  one-quarter  miles  from  the 
tongue  the  surface  is  thickly  covered  with  moraine  composed  of 
shales,  sandstones  of  several  colors  and  limestones.  These  fall 
with  the  avalanches  from  the  hanging  glaciers  above,  and  nniny  of 
them  are  of  large  size. 

From  indications  which  seem  t(»  be  borne  out  by  the  ol)servations 
of  others,'  the  glacier  is  receding  and  contracting.  The  slope  of 
the  surface  is  small,  tho  lower  part  l)eing  nearly  Hat,  and  the 
motion  is  accordingly  likely  to  be  insigniiicant,  though  no  observa- 
tions have  been  made  for  its  determination.  For  future  reference, 
a  very  large  block  of  limest(M»e,  near  the  centre  of  tho  glacier, 
and  about  otic  mile  from  the  tongue,  \\as  located  l)y  range  lines  and 
marked  "  VX,  '!)!)."  The  movement  next  vear  can  easily  be 
determined  from  this  rock.  The  position  of  the  ice  on  the  north- 
west side  was  also  htcated,  being  twenty  feet  distant  from  the  nearest 
of  three  very  prominent  and  nearly  cubical  blocks  of  red  sandstone, 
■which  recently  had  l)ecu  released  from  the  'wc. 


1  T/if  First  Ascent  of  Mount  Victoria,  Prof.  C.   E.  Fay,  Appalachia,  vol. 
ix,  p.  4. 


504 


I'ROCKKDINOH    Ol'   TJIi:   ACADKMY    OF 


[i89y. 


Many  pretty  examples  of  sfiuul  cones  an<l  glacier  tables  wore  to  be 
seen,  while  the  avalanches,  which  at  frecpient  intervals  thundered 
down  the  almost  perpendicular  clitts  of  Mts.  Lefroy  and  Victoria, 
lent  an  awfulness  to  the  scene  truly  in  kec[)ing  with  the  surround- 
ings. The  lower  glacier  is  almost  entirely  fed  from  those  hanging 
on  the  steep  slopes  above. 


ASUI-KAN  GLACIKR. 

The  Asulkan  Glacier  was  visited  on  the  12th  of  August,  when 
a  picture  was  taken  from  the  test  rock  of  1898,  and  three  boul- 
ders nuirked  to  determine  in  fixture  the  position  of  the  tongue.  A 
search  was  made  for  the  rocks  marked  bv  ^Ir.  H.  W.  Toplmm 
without  result.  Changes  in  the  deposits  about  the  glacier  have 
evidently  taken  place  rapidly,  and  it  is  probable  the  rocks  marked 
by  him  have  been  covered  up  by  fresh  material. 

The  tongue  of  ice  seems  to  be  slowly  recading  from  the  moraine, 
as  noted  last  year,''  and  it  was  possible  to  locate  the  limit  of  the 
ice  quite  accurately.  In  order  to  fix  its  position  on  the  above 
date,  a  line,  passing  through  three  rocks  and  the  tongue,  was  chosen, 
the  magnetic  bearing  of  which  was  85°  35'  E,  The  rocks  mark- 
ing the  two  ends  of  this  line  were  situated,  one  on  the  small  mo- 
raine just  to  the  left  of  the  glacier,  and  the  other  on  the  high 
and  stable  moraine  to  the  right,  while  the  third  and  smallest  rock 
lay  just  below  and  to  the  right  of  the  tongue.  Bearings  were 
taken  to  locate  these  rocks  with  other  prominent  objects. 

The  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  the  glacier  during  the 
year  are  not  marked.  A  comparison  of  the  test  pictures  of  1898 
and  1899  shows  a  slight  shrinkage  in  the  height  and  a  very  slight 
increase  in  the  breadth,  while  the  position  of  the  tongue  has  U()t 
changed  to  an  appreciable  extent.  The  ice  fall  about  three- 
eighths  of  a  mile  above  the  tongue,  where  a  series  of  exquisite 
seracs  is  to  be  seen,  is  visibly  less  than  last  year,  and  the  neve 
line  is  much  lower.  The  hanging  glaciers  to  the  west,  on  the  sides 
of  ^Its.  Castor  and  Pollux,  are  more  active,  and  we  noted  a 
number  of  ])retty  avalanches.  These  seemed  to  be  very  infre- 
quent last  year. 


•  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  1899,  p.  124.     Also  Plate  VI. 


1899.] 


NATiHAi-  sni;x(  i;!s  oi'  rmi.AUKMiiiA. 


r>or> 


ILl-i:Ci:i,LEWAKT    GLAIIKR. 

Owing  to  ita  Bccessihility,  this  glncicr  has  bccn'more  carefully 
observed  than  any  other  ui  the  region.  It  niay.be  reached  by  ii 
good  trail  iu  thirty  ininuti'S  from  Glacier  House,  and  wo  visited  it 
almost  daily  between  the  'JUth  of  July  and  the  20tli  of  August  of 
the  present  year.  During  this  period,  partly  owing  to  the  cold 
and  damp  weather,  but  little  melting  or  recession  of  the  totiguc 
was  noted.  This  was  in  marked  contrast  to  the  rate  of  melting 
observed  last  year.' 

The  observations  on  this  glacier  naturally  divide  themselves 
under  four  principal  heads,  which  will  be  taken  up  us  follows: 

1.  Measurements  of  rate  of  flow. 

2.  Measurement  of  recession  and  other  changes  since  |1 898. 

3.  Photographic  record  from  test  rock  •*  AV 

4.  Survey  of  tongue,  and  mapping  moraines  and  titreams. 

1.  MeaBurements  of  rate  of  flow. 

These  were  determined  at  nine  points  on  the  glacier,  one  a  few 
feet  above  the  tongue,  and  eight  on  a  straight  line  at  right  angles 
to  the  flow  and  about  1500  feet  above  the  tongue.  Rev.  Wni. 
S.  Green,  in  1888,''  made  a  determination  of  tlie  rate  of  flow  by 
driving  stakes  into  the  ice  iu  a  direct  line.  Owing  to  the  rapid 
melting,  however,  these  soon  fell,  and  when  he  returned  to 
reraeasure,  no  accurate  results  could  be  obtained.  Profiting  by 
his  experience,  wo  decideii  to  employ  plates  of  steel,  six  inches 
wiuare  and  one-eighth  inch  thick,  in  the  centres  ui  which  holes 
were  bored  and  threaded  to  receive  three-quarter-inch  pipes,  three 
inches  long.  The  origimxl  purpost  of  the  pipes  was  to  supjwrt 
small  flags  to  facilitate  observation.  It  was  found,  however,  A\hen 
the  practical  test  came  to  be  made,  that  if  the  plates  were  inverted, 
Avith  the  pipes  extending  on  the  under  side,  they  sank  into  the  ice, 
forming  anchors,  while  the  plates  rested  on  the  surface  and  could 
be  easily  seen.  The  plates  were  given  two  coats  of  vermilion 
paint,  and  lettered  and  numbered  in  white  for  identification. 

The  right  moraine  of    the  glacier  being  "high  and  secure,  and 


»  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Philu.,  1899,  p.  123. 
*  Among  the  Selkirk  Glaciers,  p.  218. 


I 


iM 


rm 


PROCKEDrxos   OF   THE    ACADEMY 


OF 


[1899. 


affording  an  excellent  view  of  the  surface  of  the  ice,  we  deter- 
nnned  to  use  its  ridge  as  tiie  station  for  tiie  transit.  Observations 
]iad  l)een  made  to  determine  the  moan  direction  of  flow  of  the  ice 
and  on  the  31st  of  July,  1899.  the  transit  was  adjuste.l  on  the 
ridge.  A  large  tree  was  taken  as  a  line  mark  on  the  left  side  of 
th(!  valley. 

The  plan  of  measuring  a  distance  of  250  feet  between  the  plate, 
by  means  of  a  tape  measure  was  proved  to  be  impracticable  on 
going  on  the  ice.     While  the  surface  was  comparativelv  smooth    it 
was  rolling  an,l  broken  by  valleys  running  at  right  angles  to  the 
direction  in  which  the  measurements  were  to  be  made.     In  nearly 
ev^ry  case  it  was  not  possible  to  see  from  one  plate   to  the  next 
\  e  accordingly  decided  to  abandon  the  actual  measurement,  and 
after  a.ljusting  the  plates,   to  lay  out  a  base  line  and    take  the 
angles  to  the  plates  from  each  end.     The  results  could  then   be 
plotted  on  the  map  and  the  distances  obtained.     This  plan  worked 
well,  and  on  the  second  visit  Ave  were  able  to  place  a  transit  at 
each  end  of  the  base  line,  and  make  readings  of  both  andes  at 
tiie  same  time. 

Eight  steel  plates  were  laid  out  on  the  line  shown  on  the  map 
At  t  us  point  the  total  breadth  of  the  glacier  is  1720  feet      Owin<. 
to  the  roundel  surface  of  the  glacier  the  position  for  the  ninth 
plate  was  not  visible  from  the  ends  of  the  base  line,  and  as  it  was 
quite  Close  to  the  left  border  it  was  omitted  altogether. 

On  the  11th  of  August,  or  eleven  days  later,  transits  were  set 
up  at  each  end  of  the  base  line  and  the  bearings  to  each  of  the 
plates  taken.  At  the  same  time  the  exact  movement  of  the  plates 
was  accurately  measured  from  the  direct  line  in  which  they  had 
originally  been  placed.  This  will  be  found  noted  in  the  fourth 
column  of  the  tal)le. 


i9 


18f»l».] 


NATURAL   HCIKXCKS   OK    PHILADELPHIA. 


507 


Table  shoiciiui  Motion  of  Line  of  Plates,  across  lUecellewnet  Glacier, 
British  Columbia,  Jitly  31st  to  September  5th,  IS'JO. 


Number  of 
Plate. 

Feet  tVoii 
N.  Border 

1                Dales  of 
Observation, 

(     July  31 

;      Motion  since 
last  Obs.  (ins.). 

Oil  Hue. 

1 
) 

veroRe  diiih 
notion  (Ins.) 

1 

265 

\     Auf,nist  1 1 

42.5 

f 

2.56 

(     Heiilenibcr  5 

31.5 

f 

(     July  31 

On  line. 

) 

3 

500 

\     August  11 

40 

f 

3.90 

(    Scj)ton)l)t'r  5 

\VX 

)' 

f  1  July  :!1 

On  line. 

I 

3 

605 

<  !  Augu.st  11 

75 

5.51 

(  j  Septi  mher  5 

105 

i 

r     July  31 

On  line. 

) 

4 

7r>o 

j     August  11 
(     Septeuiber  5 

74.5 
Lost. 

} 

6.77 

f     July  31 
I     August  11 

On  line. 

) 

5 

845 

71.5 

f 

6.06 

1     September  5    , 

140.5 

) 

f     July  31            ' 
\   .August  11 
(     September  5 

On  line. 

( 

6 

980 

76.5 

1 

6.79 

165.5 

f    July  31 

On  line. 

1 

7 

1040 

i  \  August  11 

60 

6.16 

I     September  5 

172 

) 

8 

1310 

f    July  31 
■j     August  11 

On  line. 

m 

I 

6.00 

1 

•     September  5 

Lo.st. 

Again,  on  September  o,  tlirougli  the  kinrlne.-s  of  Ur.  E.  J. 
Duchesnay,  of  TIevelstoke,  B.  C,  another  measuninient  wa.s  niaile 
by  ^[es.<rs.  H.  B.  Muckle.ston  and  C.  IC.  Cartwright.  The  po.si- 
tions  of  the  plates  on  July  31.st  and  .September  5111  only  are  sliown 
on  the  map,  as  the  motion  which  had  taken  place  iij)  to  Augu.st 
11th  was  .so  small  as  to  bo  liardly  noticeable  on  that  scale. 

These  determinations  show  a  marked  decrease  in  the  rate  of  flow 
as  compared  with  the  observations  of  Kev.  William  S.  Green  in 
1888.  They  demonstrate  the  more  rapid  motion  of  the  central 
portion  of  the  glacier,  and  also  that  the  ice  on  the  convex  side  of 
the  line  of  flow  moves  faster  than  on  the  concave  side. 

Two  of  the  pliites,  Xos.  4  and  8,  could  not  be  found  on  Septem- 
ber 5th.  All  the  plates  were  left  on  the  ice,  and  it  will  be  interest- 
ing to  detenuino  the  amount  of  flow  during  an  entire  year  if  they 
can  be  found  aj;-  lin  next  summer. 

Besides  the  row  of  eight  plates  acro.^s  the  glacier,  an  addi- 
tional plate  (No.  ;))  was  placed  a  few  feet  above  the  tongue  and 
uieasured  at  frequent  intervals.     The  slope  of  the  ice  at  this  point 


508 


PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   ACADEMY    OF 


[1899. 


wag  about  40°,  and  as  the  reference  point  was  located  at  the  level 
of  the  ground  moraine  below,  the  vertical  height  of  the  plate  and  the 
diagonal  distance  were  noted,  from  which  the  horizontal  motion 
was  calculated.  The  vertical  distance  from  the  ground  moraine 
was  ol)tained  through  a  crevasse  near  by,  while  the  direct  distance 
from  the  marked  boulder  was  readily  measured  with  the  tape  line. 
Unfortunately,  after  these  measurements  had  been  made  for  sev- 
eral days,  and  very  satisfactory  results  obtained,  a  great  mass  of 
the  tongue  on  which  the  plate  had  been  located  broke  away  from 
the  main  glacier.  Immediately  the  daily  rate  of  flow  changed 
from  a  little  over  five  inches  to  a  fraction  under  three,  and 
remained  almost  constant.  Whether  this  apparent  motion  was  due 
to  the  melting  of  the  plate  in  the  ice,  or  \o  the  reduced  flow  of 
the  smaller  mass  when  not  urged  on  by  the  parent  glacier,  was  not 
determined.  The  crevasses  seemed  to  widen  from  day  to  day  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  the  motion  of  the  ice  alone  wouhl  cause  them 
to  become  narrower. 

Table  of  Motion  of  Plate  No.  9,  on  Tongue  of  lUecellewaet  Glacier,  Brit- 
ish Columbia,  August  1st  to  20tli,  1899. 


a.  Number  of  Observation |     1 

b.  Date  of  Observation I  8/1 


2     I      3     I      4     !      5 
8/2     8/6  I  8/15  ,8/20 


c.  Interval  since  last  measurement  (days).  ;    1.24  |   3.75  }   9.25 

d.  Actual  horizontal  motioa  of  plate  (ins.)      7.:5      18.5      26.1 


e.  Motion  of  plate  per  day  (inches) j   5.9 


5.1        2.8 


5.1 
13.5 

2.7 


2.  Measurement  of  recession  and  other  changes  since  1898. 
After  the  rapid  changes  of  the  last  few  years  we  were  surprised 
that  very  little  alteration  had  taken  placv.  in  the  form  of  the 
glacier  since  last  summer.  In  the  fall  of  1898  the  average  daily 
recession  was  nearly  eight  and  one-tenth  inches,  while  the  average 
annual  recession  was  fifty-six  feet.'  Measurements  showed  that 
on  July  29th,  1899,  the  tongue  was  seventy-one  feet  above  the 
marked  rock  "  C,"  (see  map,  Plate  XX)  and  on  August  20th, 
seventy-six  feet.     These  indicate  a  recession  of  but  sixteen  feet 


*Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  1899,  pp.  123,  124. 


1899.] 


NATURAL   SCIKNCKS   OF    rHILADELPIIIA. 


509 


for  the  year  as  compared  with  fifty-.ix  feet,  the  average  of  the 
past  eight  years;  and  an  average  daily  recession  of  but  two  and 
Ihree-tenths  inches  as  con.pared  with  eight  and  one-tenth  inches 
in  the  same  month  of  the  previous  year.  On  the  right  side,  where 
the  ice  has  a  much  steeper  slope,  practically  no  change  from  the 
position  noted  last  year  could  be  observed. 

A  few  local  changes  in  the  ice  and  moraines  have  occurred. 
The  gi  eat  moraine  on  the  left  being  supported  on  the  ice  foot  is 
constantly  slipping  down  upon  the  glacier  below.  I  he  right 
moraine  is  much  more  stable,  and  no  material  change  can  be  noted 
in  it  On  the  extreme  left  of  the  glacier  local  shrinkage  and  reces- 
sion have  taken  place,  uncovering  a  mass  of  be.l  rock,  over  which 
the  principal  stream  issuing  from  the  glacier  tumbles  in  a  cascade 
This  fall  has  existed  for  a  long  time,  and  it  i.  probable  that 
before  another  year  it  may  be  covered  again  by  the  g  acier.  1  he 
cascade  will   form  an  easily  identified  point  for  the  hunt  of  the 

ice  in  1899.  ,  , 

Vftera  careful  examination  of  the  test  pictures  of  1898  and 
1899,  taken  from  identical  positions,  it  appears  that  the  doptli  of 
the  ice  in  the  upper  regions  of  the  glacier  just  below  the  ncv^  le 
increasing.  This  fact  was  also  noted  by  a  number  of  persons  who 
have  been  in  the  region  for  some  time. 

3  Photographic  record  from  test  rook  "W." 
The  taking  of  the  test  picture  from  the  rock  "  W,"  ^'-^-f^'^' 
point  the  others  had  been  taken,  was  acoomplished  on  tlve  IJth  day 
of  August,  1899-the  same  day  of  the  year  as  the  1898  picture. 
4  Survey  of  tongue  and  mapping  moraines  and  streams. 
The  accompanving  map.  Plate  XX,  the  basis  of  which  was  a 
tric^onometric  and  photographic  survey,  may  in  future  years  prove 
of  interest  in  tracing  the  changes  of  the  glacier  and  locating  the  ino- 
ralne«  and  marked  rocks.     The  first  records  of  the  position  of  the 
Macier  are  in  1887,  when  it  followed  closely  the  narrow  moraine  in 
which  rocks  "  E,"  "  K "  and  "  A  "  are  located.     One  year  later 
on  the  visit  of  Rev.  William  S.  Green,  a  marked  shnnkage  and 
recession  had  taken  place,  as  shown  by  his  photograi^hs,  and  the 
position  of  his  tarred  rocks,  still  plainly  visible   ("parked       T 
"T"  on  map). «     It  is  probable  that  each  year  since   188 <  has 
~~^Amon(j  the  Sdkirk  Glaciers,  p.  219. 


510 


I'KOCICEDIXGS   OF   TIIK   ACADEMY    OK 


[1899. 


witnessed  some  rijeession  of  tlie  ice.  Before  that  time  there  are 
indications  that  the  glacier  was  either  stationary  or  advancing. 
Tiio  alder  bushes  and  scrub  evergreens  which  grow  in  places  on  this 
moraine  show,  from  their  leaves  and  annual  rings,  an  average  age 
of  from  twenty-two  to  thirty  years.  Taking  the  smallest  uiunbei 
noted — twenty-two  years — and  subtracting  from  it  the  twelve 
years  wdiich  have  elapsed  since  1887,  there  still  remains  an  inter- 
val of  ten  years,  during  which  the  glacier  did  not  cover  a  greater 
area  tlian  it  did  at  the  time  we  first  observed  it.  We  have  no 
means  of  knowing  whether,  daring  this  period,  the  glacier  was 
advancing  or  retreating,  but  there  is  proof  that  in  1887  the  tongue 
occupied  as  low  a  position  as  at  any  time  during  the  past  twenty- 
two  yeai-s. 

This  border  moraine  of  1887  oHers  several  interesting  featui-es. 
A  large  part  of  it  is  composed  of  two  distinct  moraines  of  nearly 
equal  size.  The  same  (tharacteristic  is  noted  on  the  great  left 
moraine  which,  at  a  certain  point,  has  a  marked  deprer«sion  in  the 
ridge.  As  the  amount  of  morainal  material  carried  down  by  the 
glacier  is  insignificant,  these  double  moraines  may  mark  the  limit- 
ing ])ositions  of  two  periods  of  advance,  one  of  which  took  place 
not  far  from  1 887. 

The  average  of  all  the  moven  onts  of  the  glaciers  of  this  region 
has  l)een  a  marked  recession,  which  is  amply  proved  by  the  lines 
of  moraines  abandoned  in  the  vallevs  below.  At  one  time,  the 
Illeeellewaet  and  Asulkan  Glaciers,  which  now  terminate  near  the 
heads  of  the  valleys,  extended  till  they  joined  and  flowed  as  a 
common  ice  stream.  To  estimate  the  time  at  which  this  took 
place,  or  rather  to  fix  a  date  since  which  the  glaciers  mui^t  have 
been  separate,  the  rings  of  a  number  of  trees  in  both  the  Illeeel- 
lewaet and  Asulkan  Valleys  were  counted.  In  the  Illeeellewaet 
Valley,  at  the  Second  Bridge,  several  examples  were  so  counted, 
the  oldest  of  Avhich  showed  250  rings.  In  the  Asulkan  Valley,  a 
tree  with  2!)6  rings  was  noted,  whiie  one  splendid  exampKo  of 
white  spruce  was  thirteen  feet  five  and  one-half  inches  in  circum- 
ference. Allowing  one  ring  to  a  year,  this  would  indicate  that 
the  recession  of  the  two  glaciers  took  a  nuieh  longer  time  than  has 
been  sup[)osed  by  some.  It  is  probable  many  hundreds  of  years 
have  elapsed  since  they  were  united  and  covered  the  ground  now 
occupied  by  the  railway  and  the  Glacier  House. 


1899.] 


?VATrRAL    i«(IKNCKS    OF    rillLADKLrillA. 


511 


In  closini;,  ii('knowle<lginent  is  particularly  due  for  the  thought- 
ful cociperation  and  interest  of  Mr.  E,  J.  Duche^inay,  Division 
Superintendent  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  Ilevelstoke,  B.  C, 
and  of  his  assistant,  ]\Ir.  C.  E.  Cartwright,  for  valuable  aiisist- 
anee  in  connection  with  the  surveys.  Also  to  Edouard  Feuz,  of 
Interlaken,  whose  untiring  interest,  and  skill  on  ice  and,  rock, 
contributed  largely  to  the  success  of  the  results. 


of 


